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Nobody likes to have their snow blower conk out on them, especially when there’s a big snowfall on the way. But if the worst case scenario happens to you, Snow Blower Source has put together a little FAQ guide that goes over some problems you may experience. With any luck, it’ll never happen to you but it’s always good to have answers available.

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Question: Why Won’t the Engine Start?

Answer: A stubborn engine that won’t roar to life can be any number of things, most commonly the following:

Electric starter malfunctioning because of loose or broken parts

Not enough fuel in the tank

The battery is dead

The kill switch is in the off position

The key switch is in the off position

The fuel shut-off valve is in the off position

Question: Why Did the Snow Blower Shut Off in the Middle of Clearing the Driveway?

Answer: Almost always, this is a problem of simply running out of fuel. There are other causes, but they’re usually more complex and come with other signs than just the machine turning off without you doing anything. Shut off your snow blower, wait a few minutes for it to really turn off, use a stick to poke underneath to make sure there’s no snow jammed in, refill the tank and pick up where you left off.

Question: Why Does the Snow Blower Throw Snow Weird?

Answer: If your machine isn’t tossing snow off to the side in a clear, forceful manner, then this is a small list of what’s probably going on:

Moisture has collected on the auger and cold temperatures have frozen it in place

The underside wasn’t cleared properly last time and there’s a buildup of snow and/or ice

The shear bolts have snapped

There’s a problem with either the attachment drive or the attachment clutch/brake

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Question: Why Won’t the Snow Blower Go In Reverse?

Answer: The average snow blower has a switch that allows it to switch directions (forwards, backwards) and if it’s suddenly not listening to you, you’ll want to check if these parts are in good working order:

Friction disc

Speed selector

Traction belt

Question: Why Won’t the Wheels Turn?

Answer: Although there’s a bit of a laundry list of reasons for why the tires won’t turn properly, it’s almost always just a small handful of things behind the issue. Half of those have to do with cables (clutch, control or traction control cable), while the other half is either the V-belt, cogged belt or drive disc.

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Question: Why is the Snow Blower Smoking?

Answer: Smoke is definitely a sign that something isn’t right under the hood, but the type of smoke you see can narrow down the problem. If it’s blue or white, it may be the oil (either overfilling the crank case, burning oil or using the wrong grade), a crankcase leak or break, having the snow blower used at a bad angle (i.e. more than 15 degrees, or if you keep it on its side for too long) or a blown head gasket.

And if it’s black, well, it’s probably on fire and needs to be looked at right away.

We know that not every single snow blower problem can be solved with a quick symptom checker, but the vast majority of issues can be narrowed down to what we’ve listed here. One way to avoid that is by shopping at our online store and getting the latest, best and newest parts for your snow blower, so head on over to find some amazing deals.